Heavy Heart
by Caiyus
Summary: Katara was sold into slavery at a young age and miraculously ends up at the palace. The only problem is his son, an arrogant child that treats her like an animal. But if he treats her like that, why does he look at her with such longing eyes? Zutara
1. Happy Family Plan

_**Heavy Heart**_

_By: Caiyus_

_**Fandom:**__Avatar the Last Airbender_

_**Raiting:**__T for now, possible M for mature themes (child abuse, slavery, etc)_

_**Pairing:**__ Zuko/Katara, possible Aang/Katara_

_**Blanket Disclaimer: **__I don't, and never will, own Avatar the Last Airbender. (I'm not creative enough to think of plotlines, anyway...) I try to stray from using OCs, but the characters that you don't recognize are mines (unless you know less about Avatar than I do?)_

_**Author's Note:**__ This is going to contain slightly dark themes, but it will all get better! Ahurhurhur. And I apologize for any OOC-ness, but keep in mind that I'm trying my best. C: Byebye Oh, and let's all pretend Azula's away... (Permanently?) If I can figure out a way to fit her into the story, she'll make an appearance, but until then... Nope. P:_

_**Summary:**__ Sold into slavery by her own parents, Katara has gone from house to house within the Fire Nation. When she gets bought by the Fire Lord himself, Katara thinks she's lucked out. However, upon meeting the Fire Lord's cocky, arrogant son, she's begun to think otherwise. Though he treats her like an animal, why does he look at her with such longing eyes?_

I still got chills every time I thought of that night. It was such a long time ago--almost eleven years ago--I'm still surprised I can still recall every little detail. I suppose it's only logical, though... It was the most important event in my life.

I was six years old when it happened. I remember my real family well. We weren't well off, but I never thought we were that poor. My father had died of a heart attack a year ago, so now my family only consisted of my older brother, my mother, and I.

It was an especially cold night I remember--colder than it had been in months. Perhaps it was destiny's way of foreshadowing the coldness that would enter my life that very night.

We had a lavish meal that night. There were generous cuts of the best fish, some new rice, and even some slivers of pork and beef.

"Why do we have such good food tonight? Are we celebrating something?" I asked, innocently munching on my rice and meat.

I was too innocent to take the silence of my mother and brother as anything more suspicious than normal. Perhaps I would have eventually picked up some weird vibes if a knock on the door hadn't interrupted our lovely meal.

"A visitor!" I said excitedly, smiling with joy. It was rare for anyone to come and visit us, but when someone did, I enjoyed it.

Maybe it was then when I realized something was going on, something very wrong. I noticed it when my brother, Sokka, started to cry. Usually, if one of us cried in my mother's presence, she would slap us until we stopped. This rule was more extreme for Sokka, considering he was a couple of years older than I was and he was a male. Instead of getting up to hit him, tonight she just shifted her weight in her seat.

The knocking on the door grew louder. I watched my mother place down her bowl and chopsticks gracefully and get up; I remember that she never made eye contact with me. She reached the door and opened it.

Into our house stepped an average-sized man. He looked like he hadn't bathed or shaved in weeks. I remember wondering briefly if he was going to be my new father, and if we were going to be a happy family again. Could I have been farther from the truth?

He walked into our dining room and looked at me. "Is this her?" He asked in a deep, gruff voice, a voice I would never forget, no matter how desperately I wanted to.

My mother nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the wooden floor. The stranger stepped forward, then reached out his hand and grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet.

Sokka was full-on sobbing now. "Mom!" I called, trying to break free of his grip. A fight between a six-year-old girl against a middle-aged man hardly seemed fair. "Sokka!" I screamed, more scared than I had ever been.

"Katara..." My mother whispered as I was dragged past where she was standing. She never lifted her eyes from the spot on the floor. I was dragged by my wrists across our house, but we stopped at the door frame.

A brief flicker of hope lit within me. I thought that, maybe he had a change of heart. Maybe I wasn't going to be taken away from my mother and Sokka. Maybe we could pretend this had never happened and go on living like a happy family.

The hope was soon extinguished when I realized what he was doing. The man reached into one of the many pockets of his coat and dug out a ratty cloth bag. He threw it at my mother in an uncaring fashion.

"Your payment." He said to my mother. We watched as she untied the string and poured the contents of the bag into her hand gingerly. Even from the distance, the shine of the silver and gold coins were unmistakable.

Without another word, I was roughly shoved into a horse-drawn carriage waiting a few feet outside our house. I understood now... My mother had sold me.

The door was quickly slammed shut. I briefly got to get one last look at my house. There was no one outside and the door was shut.

I never did get to say goodbye.

_**Post Note:**__ Sorry if that didn't seem realistic or whatever... I'm not entirely familiar with the methods of selling a child into slavery? _

_Also, (non-flame/spam) reviews make me happy_


	2. Change Leads to Worse Things

_**HEAVY HEART, Chapter Two**_

_Change Leads to Worse Things_

_**Author's Note: **__Thank you to everyone who commented. I appreciate your kindness very much. I also want to thank those who chose to watch/favorite this story. C: It really does mean a lot to me! –totally gets sentimental- Oh, and to answer kawaiiitahina123's question… Benders _do_ exist, but bending is not really used that often? (I don't know how to word it) In my fic, it's less common to see a bender, but there are some that'll show up later… :D_

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"Sir," I said, holding up the teapot in my hands. I had to admit that I got nervous every time I had to pour tea. The pot was an antique; a porcelain beauty with a hand-pained floral pattern surrounding the body. If I dropped it, I'd be as good as dead. 

"Hmm?" The old man peered over the top of his daily paper to see what I waned. "Oh!" He exclaimed once he saw what I was trying to do, and held his tea cup out for me.

By far, this old man was my nicest master. He was a member of Ba Sing Se's upper-class and was known throughout the city. From the gossip floating around the house, he had many children, all of whom had grown up to become scholars and had moved out of the city. Now, he lived alone with his multitude of servants and slaves.

I had two previous owners, both of which I'd rather not talk about.

"Child, what seems to ail you?" He asked, folding his newspaper and placing it neatly on his lap.

I came out of my daze instantly. "Nothing, sir; I was thinking, that's all." I bowed to show my respect.

The man nodded slowly. "I see. Well, Katara, there's no harm in thinking…" He mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Thank you." I said politely, bowing once more. I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me.

"Katara." He said. His tone was different from what it had just been. It was stronger, almost rough. "I'll be having a guest over sometime later today. Please don't intrude on our conversation, if possible."

I nodded. "I understand."

True to his word, the old man had a guest. I met the man at the door, showing my best manners, and led him to where Master was waiting. The man looked big and scary, but I tried not to let my outward observations affect my duty.

Currently, the two of them were locked in the study doing who knows what. As my duty, I honored his wishes and stayed out of their way.

As I was walking down the hall, I couldn't help but notice that a small crowd had gathered around the study's double doors. A tiny girl was crouched on her knees with her ear against the keyhole.

"Shh, shh!" She would hush, waving her hand at the crowd when they got too loud with excitement.

I, like any normal person, was drawn to the crowd. I wasn't intruding on Master's conversation, so this was technically acceptable.

"What's going on?" I asked a nearby girl, one whom I saw working in the kitchens often.

She turned to me, her mouth open as if she was ready to speak. When she saw who she was talking to, however, she shut her mouth and turned her attention back to the doors. Something was up. And I was willing to bet all I had that it was about me.

I pushed my way through the row of people, finally reaching the door. The girl who was previously listening just got out of the way when she saw me, not saying a single word.

I placed my ear to the keyhole and listened. Their voices were hushed, but it wasn't hard to make out what they were saying.

"She's exactly what you're looking for." It was Master who was speaking.

"But how can I be sure you're not selling her for more than she's worth?" This was a voice I didn't recognize. Obviously, it was his guest, though, considering there was no one else in the room.

"I assure you, she's a hard worker and she's extremely loyal."

There was a long pause. "I'm still not convinced… Ten thousand is a large sum of money. I want only the best for the Fire Lord. I'm not sure if the girl will be able to fit the strict requirements."

I felt sick. Though no names had been mentioned, I knew they were talking about me. I didn't want to leave here; I didn't want to be sold again.

Master's voice was now more convincing. "I bought this child from an abusive master farther up north many years ago. Since then, I've trained her well. She's perfect for the Fire Lord."

"Hmm." He seemed to be putting a lot of thought into this. "I'm still not sure. Perhaps if we lowered the sum…" He trailed off suggestively.

"No. This girl is worth ten thousand, if not more. I'm sorry to say I can't go any lower."

I was praying that the man wouldn't accept.

"I understand." His response was curt. "Well, I'm not sure she'd be right for the Fire Nation anyway. I'm going to check on a few other girls, and if I can't find anyone fitting, I'll contact you and discuss details. Is that fine with you?"

It took all my self-control not to scream out for joy and jump up and down. It looked as though the man wasn't as interested as he appeared to be. I bit my bottom lip and grinned like an idiot. Then, I leaned back to the door to hear the conclusion of their conversation.

"Wait." I heard Master say slowly. My heart sank. "The Fire Lord has a young boy, am I right? In his teen years?"

The other man's footsteps stopped. I could mentally picture him stopping in his tracks and turning to face the Master. "Yes, what are you getting at?"

"You saw her at when you came in, right?" Master didn't pause to let the other man answer his question. "She's a young woman, around the same age as the Prince, I believe."

This perked the other man's interest. He picked up exactly on what Master was trying to hint at. "And she's still a virgin, I'm assuming?"

"Of course." Master said, as if it were obvious. "You're welcome to check if you don't believe me."

There was a few seconds of silence. "Do you want the full ten thousand now, or are increments fine?"

"I don't need the entire payment now." The deal was sealed.

I felt like crying. It was true that I was a virgin, but I didn't want to have some creep check to make sure. Even worse than that, though, was the fact that I didn't want to be the personal playmate of some spoiled Fire Nation Prince.

I got up as fast as I could. My legs felt weak and tears clouded my vision slightly. The crowd was still there, but they were polite enough not to stare. I avoided looking at their faces as I pushed my way through.

I started running down the hallway, unsure of where I was going. I wanted to leave, but Master was right—he had trained me well. No matter how much I wanted to run and escape, I knew it wasn't right.

I fell to my knees and broke down. I pressed my forehead against the wall and let the tears fall.

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_**Post Note: **__Bleh. Another short chapter. Sorry, guys. But this chapter marks the end of set-up and the beginning of actual story meat! (Yum, my favorite kind?) So hold on tight, everyone! Updates will hopefully come spewing out of me and… yeah… C: Byebye  
R&R,  
Caiyus_


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